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Description

VitaHive™ Power Feed™ is a powerful pollen supplement that not only delivers optimal nutrition to your hive but also significantly boosts your brood, bee health and longevity.

Power Feed contains a unique, highly researched and specially blended mix of pH balanced proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals to provide your hives with the nutrition they need to thrive (plus they love the taste!). More importantly Power Feed is GMO free and does not contain any soy or animal products.

It’s one thing getting the right ingredients but its another making them work to benefit your bees. Power Feed is proudly made in New Zealand using advanced milling techniques that significantly reduces the particle size of the ingredients. This is important. Why? When you’re as small as a bee a smaller particle makes a BIG difference. Smaller particles have a larger surface to volume ratio; when it comes to bees, this significantly improves digestion, bioavailability and uptake of the nutrients.

VitaHivePower Feed is the perfect feed during times of low pollen availability or high energy demand. Feeding in autumn and spring can boost hive health; reduce winter losses and prime hives for the coming season.

Power Feed is available in both ready to mix powder and pre-made ready-to-go patties.

Details

How to Use

Place Power Feed patties directly onto the top bars of the lowest brood chamber. Placement in proximity to the brood area improves uptake and benefit.

Leaving wax paper on will not affect uptake or harm your bees, however this should ideally be removed before placement in the hives.

NOTE: Care should be taken to ensure patties do not fall between frames and onto the bottom board. As with any food product, these pieces may attract rodents which could result in damage to the hive.

Unused powder should be stored in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. For storage between seasons refrigeration is recommended. Best before 1 year from date of manufacture.

Feeding Guide

Before you’re ready to feed you should make a few observations:

How strong is the hive you’re feeding?

What natural pollen is available?

What time of year is it?

Knowing these three things you can adjust your feeding quantity and technique for best results.

Autumn feeding

The aim here is to prepare your hives for winter. Going in stronger and with “fatter” bees has been linked to higher survival rates. We want to maintain our queen laying as long as possible and ensure there is enough honey stored to last until the next flow or feed. To do this we recommend beginning feeding in early autumn and continuing through until you winter down your hives. For a single depth box with at least 7 frames of bees, feeding 1-1.5kg of patties per hive over this period will be enough. Break this volume down into numerous fees across autumn (4 to 6, 250 gram patties).

Spring feeding

Feeding coming out of winter should be tapered in. Don’t add more than the hive can consume as it is wasteful and will end up being discarded.

Coming out of winter your bees will be older and less capable to take up large quantities of food. The aim is therefore to feed and develop nurse bees, however as brood is likely to be low, their numbers will also be low. The best way to start feeding Power Feed is with a single pattie (250g) or more ideally, feed both Power Feed and Brood Booster together. Do this towards the end of winter by adding Brood Booster to standard 67 brix liquid sugar (for use in feeders) or blend the mix into some of your first and second rounds of pattie feeds. Utilising Brood Booster with Power Feed in this way will further speed up the queens laying, leading to increased numbers of nurse bees. After a couple of weeks start with your regular feeding rounds. Keep in mind a strong hive is a hungry hive and can consume 500 grams of pattie in about 8-10 days.

Emergency feeding

Pollen turn over in a hive is very quick. Bees need a continuous supply. If for some reason you expect your hives to be cut off from foraging for more than a few days we’d recommend adding a small pattie to get them through. For example, if a week of rain is forecast or you know that there are no flowers blooming in your area the supplemental feeding would be advisable.

Nutritional Profile

More than a list of what’s inside! The ingredients in VitaHivePower Feed have been scientifically selected and carefully balanced in order to provide optimum nutrition and uptake. Plus, they’re GMO free and contain no animal by-products.